(Editor's Note: While the start of the 2025 NFL Draft isn't until late April, it's never too early to profile some of the key participants. The staff of DallasCowboys.com intends to preview the landscape of the draft's top prospects, with an emphasis on possible Cowboys draft picks – from the first round to the last. Today's featured player is Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord.)
- Name: Kyle McCord
- Position: QB
- College: Syracuse
- Height/Weight: 6'3 / 218
- Did You Know? McCord's first and only year at Syracuse after transferring from Ohio State was one that shattered school, conference and national records. His 4,779 passing yards was not only the FBS leader for the season and also broke the all-time ACC record. He set school records in attempts (592), completions (391) and touchdown passes (34).
Where He's Projected:
The quarterback class is an interesting one to follow depending on when runs will occur and how desperate teams are to pick one up. For now, most mock drafts see McCord being taken somewhere between the third and fifth rounds.
How He Helps the Cowboys:
Stephen Jones has said that the Cowboys are looking to get younger at the quarterback position. In McCord, they'd be getting a 22-year-old, seven years younger than Will Grier, who has taken a lot of college reps in the last two years and is coming off the best season of his career.
After McCord wasn't able to take full advantage of the offensive talent around him at Ohio State, his move to Syracuse saw drastic improvement. He led the Orange to their first 10-win season since 2018 and threw for over 350 passing yards in eight of the team's 13 games.
He's a player who could benefit from a few years of sitting and learning, which would be the exact situation he'd be put in if drafted by the Cowboys. Dak Prescott is still the starter and projects to be if healthy for the next few years, so he doesn't need to be thrown into the fire and can develop accordingly for a chance to earn the job later down the line or serve as a quality backup.
Final Thoughts:
McCord's final college season was very encouraging in terms of seeing him build back some of his confidence and show he can take the next step. He already plays with a high IQ and reads coverages well, setting a higher floor for his NFL future.
He's not the best athlete but can get out of trouble in the pocket when necessary and delivers a tight, accurate spiral. The traits are there, and if he can continue to build off of them, a team might be getting a steal in a quarterback class that isn't considered to be very strong as a whole.
